This bears repeating: Not every instance of memory loss is a sign of encroaching Alzheimer's disease.

Many common medical conditions, most of them easily and completely treatable, can impair memory. A great review of such conditions is underway online at Behavioral Health Central.

I encourage readers to click the link and read the article but here is a list of the conditions reviewed to date:

Chronic Stress

Depression

Medications

Malfunctioning Thyroid

Pregnancy or Menopause

Excessive Drinking

Head Injury

Normal Aging

I think it is important to point out that a sharp, progressive decline in memory function is not consistent with normal aging. Some aspects of one's recall abilities, such as speed of word and name recall, tend to decline slowly with age, but more serious changes are never normal and should be evaluated by a physician.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share button below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.

6 comments
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You forgot vascular causes. Many forms of dementia trace poor circulation or lack of bloodflow as the main cause. Though many of these could fit under brain injury (or stroke) and normal aging, others can be caused by defects in plasmin or maybe even to poor diet and lack of exercise, or, at the very least, obesity and diabetes.

Great additional input from Brad Walters. We have highlighted the centrality of vascular disease in this blog on many occasions but it that was somehow omitted from this list. That said, I believe Behavioral Health Central, the site whose article is highlighted in this post, is planning to add to their list with a successive post. Thanks Brad!

There are also several environmental factors which have been suspected of contributing to AD risk. One of the earliest suspects was aluminum, which is a common contaminant in drinking water. Both the plaques and tangles in AD contain illuminum, and early studies linked AD with aluminum ingested through drinking water or even by using aluminum cooking utensils. However, most researchers are currently not convinced that there is a strong link between aluminum and AD.